


Fire, Walk With Me

by luna_libertatis



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Episode Ignis DLC, Gen, Twin Peaks References
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2020-06-24 20:41:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19731397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luna_libertatis/pseuds/luna_libertatis
Summary: Exploring the diverging timelines in Episode Ignis, via Twin Peaks."Through the darkness of future past,The magician longs to see.One chants out, between two worlds:Fire, walk with me."





	Fire, Walk With Me

Ignis approached the throne, his footsteps echoing throughout the empty, cavernous chamber. He could not remember another time that he had been there with no other councilors or guards present. That was strange. But he saw Noctis ahead, seated on the throne, and _that_ was what Ignis _always_ walked toward. 

_“A king pushes onward, always…”_

He ascended the steps, smiling slightly, the motion tugging on the skin of his lower lip. He sucked it in, pressing in with the tip of his tongue. A scar? He didn’t remember splitting his lip. He also seemed to have forgotten his glasses, though he could see perfectly. He reached the level beneath the throne and stopped, pulled his left arm across waist, and bowed. 

“Your majesty.”

Noct smiled at him and nodded.

A flurry of motion at the foot of the throne drew Ignis’ gaze: a fluffy white ball suddenly appeared, unfurling tiny lilac wings and a red, jewel-tipped antenna that sprung out of its head. Time felt slow and syrupy as Ignis watched the moogle shimmy and twitch in place. It spun around, antenna swaying, as it clapped its tiny hands.

“Let’s rock, kupo!”

The moogle’s antenna jewel lit up, casting a reddish glow across the entire throne room. 

Ignis cut his eyes back up to Noctis, to see what his reaction was to this creature, but Noct just kept looking down at Ignis with a small smile. _“Where is Gladio?”_ Ignis thought. _“Where is His Shield?”_

Without taking his eyes off of Ignis, Noctis slowly raised his left hand and tapped one finger onto the Ring of the Lucii on his right hand. On the wall behind him, a shadow shaped like a cactuar drifted by like a cloud. 

“I’ve got good news, kupo!” the moogle declared. “That soda you like is going to come back in style.” Ignis could think of no response to that and looked back over to Noct. The moogle saw where Ignis' attention had shifted and continued: “He’s my great, great, great, great, _greaaaaaat_ grandpa, kupo! But doesn’t he look almost exactly like Noctis Lucis Caelum?”

“But he _is_ Noct…” Ignis snapped at the moogle. He looked back to scrutinize Noct’s face. He looked older, yes, but recognizable, and Ignis would know those eyes anywhere.

Still.

“ _Are_ you Noct?” Ignis whispered.

“I feel like I know him,” replied the King. “But sometimes my chest aches.” The King rubbed at his sternum with one hand, the Ring of the Lucii catching the light, making the stone appear to glow red.

There was a shuffling sound, and a woman emerged from behind the throne.

She was clad in a long white gown and her wheat-blonde hair was cut into a bob, framing a golden diadem. She stepped forward and sat down gracefully beside the throne, resting her head against the King’s knee; Ignis noted with a start that the King was no longer wearing his Lucian raiment but a much simpler tunic and cape. The King continued rubbing at his chest as the woman looked at Ignis intensely.

The moogle bobbed its antenna at the her, the red light shining brightly on her face for a moment. “She’s filled with secrets, kupo.”

“Where we’re from all the blossoms are red,” the woman told him. “It was the end of an era.”

Music started playing faintly from somewhere, and the moogle began to flit about on its bat-like wings. The red light moved with it, creating shifting shadows across the room as the moogle danced through the air.

The woman rose and walked down from the throne level along one of the side staircases. As she came closer, Ignis saw that her dress was not pure white, but rather that it was stained with blood, and here and there with something black and sticky. She glanced back up at the King, but he still appeared lost in thought. She turned back and smiled up at Ignis. No matter how bizarre the circumstances, Ignis never forgot his manners, and so he bent at the waist and bowed to her. As he started to rise, he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, holding him in place. Silky hair brushed against his cheek, and the scent of sylleblossoms filled the air as she leaned forward. A pair of cool lips brushed the shell of his ear as the woman leaned in close and whispered…

~~~~~

Ignis awoke with a gasp, sitting up so suddenly that Gladio awoke on the other side of the tent almost simultaneously. “What is it? D’you hear something?” Gladio’s gruff shout started to wake Prompto, who let out a quiet whine of protest.

Ignis looked around the inside of the tent, feeling his racing heartbeat start to slow. He put his fingers to his ear, trying to capture the dissolving memory of a soft touch, of someone saying…something… “No. No, just an unsettling dream. Apologies for waking you.”

Gladio grunted and lay back down.

Prompto yawned and turned over onto his side. “S’ok. G’night Iggy.” 

Ignis looked over to where Noct was sleeping, totally undisturbed by the temporary commotion. His face was just as youthful as it was when they’d all crawled into the tent that night. Ignis idly rubbed at his own sternum as he watched for Noct’s chest to move up and down a few times, his breathing deep and steady. He looked peaceful. Ignis settled back down into his bedroll and closed his eyes; he hoped the Prince’s dreams were more pleasant than his own.

As Ignis fell back into a dreamless sleep, he ran the tip of his tongue across his lower lip, seeking out a scar that wasn’t there. 

**Author's Note:**

> One day, my log will have something to say about this.


End file.
